LL-L "Language varieties" 2003.04.28 (13) [E/S]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 28.APR.2003 (13) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From:  Taylor von Detten <tayvondetten at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Language Varieties

Hi there. This is a very good question, I'll try to
explain it in most simple terms. Scots is a seperate
language from English in the way Portuguese is from
Spanish. Both of the languages resemble each other,
and both countries are very near one another, but they
are just different enough to be their own unique
language.

Here is a bit of a letter writen in Scots from Luath
Scots Language Learner by L. Colin Wilson.

Dear Dorothy,

A thocht it wis aboot time tae pit pen tae paper an
drap yee a bit screive. We're haein a rare time in
Glesca, a can tell ye.

If you take time to read it carefully, you can tell
what the meaning is. Hope this helps.

Tay

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From:  "Ian James Parsley" <parsleyij at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language Varieties

Uilleam,

Thanks for joining us - and oh what a can of worms
you've just opened!

There are few absolutes in the language/dialect
spectrum: one man's language is another man's dialect
is another man's variety is another man's tongue. In
almost every case in Europe, 'language' status is
assigned for political reasons over any others.

However, if I were to defend Scots' language status I
would suggest:

1) Literature: it has its own clearly identifiable and
distinct literary tradition, right down to its own
unique verse forms;
2) History: it was the administrative language of the
Scottish State and indisputable separate from English
for 300 years from roughly 1300, and since that time
there has been no break in usage (in other words there
is a clear link between the way some people in
Scotland and Ireland speak today and the language used
in administration at that time);
3) Linguistics: there is a dialect continuum across
Scotland and the northern counties of Ireland where
the dialects, although distinct from each other,
identifiably form part of a 'greater whole' distinct
from English (i.e. they all share certain phonetics,
grammar [_didna(e), A'm efter daein_] and vocabulary
[scunner, bairn] not shared with Standard English);
4) Identification: there is a significant level of
identification with the language among its own
speakers - many are aware they speak something
distinct from English.

(It is worth noting that some claim 'Ulster Scots' is
separate from 'Scots', but it would fail all the above
tests when compared to it. 'Insular Scots' may well
pass them when compared to 'Scots' though - others on
this list have better knowledge on that than I.)

There are of course different levels of the use of
Scots in the present day. Many people actually merge
Scots and English in the same sentence (even, for
example, using _didnae_ and _don't_ in the same
clause), and it should be noted that what these people
speak is not properly called 'Scots', but rather 'a
mix of Scots and English'. One Ulster poet, Hugh
Porter, even admitted as much about his *writing*,
writing in the early 1800s that what he wrote 'is nor
Scotch nor English either, but a bit o baith mix'd up
thegither'.

Then there are people who use Scots in certain
circumstances - for example to describe agriculture or
discuss the weather - and then (subconsciously) switch
to English for other purposes - for example to talk
politics or religion. This has led many to refer to
Scots as a 'Halbsprache' or 'Half-Language', as it is
only used in certain contexts.

Nonetheless when you disassemble it all, I have no
difficulty whatsoever in ascribing the term 'language'
to Scots. But that is, of course, merely a personal
view!

Best wishes,
Ian J. Parsley
--------------------
Co Down, Northern Ireland

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